“Tumechoka na hatutaendelea hivi (we are tired and we cannot go on like this),” he exhaustedly said. This left me wondering whether we have forgotten to engage the community as a means of achieving and promoting inclusiveness and broader buy-in in solving the problem.
I believe constructive community engagements involving warring local populations from the volatile North Rift and Upper Eastern regions bedevilled with perennial cycles of cattle rustling and banditry, can be a game changer and play an instrumental role towards curbing the menace.
Banditry has gravely afflicted the nomadic pastoral communities, occasioning loss of life, displacement and suffering of local communities. Despite the volatile rhetoric from leaders, a holistic and collaborative approach that is community-centric and devoid of blame game and political finger-pointing portends viable solutions to resolving the conflict.
With the local communities taking a prominent role in crafting the solution, policymakers will be in a position of strength to make informed decisions on navigating the rough terrain that is banditry and cattle rustling. It is only the people of Baringo, Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Samburu, Marsabit and Laikipia counties who know their needs and can elaborately define the solutions to their problems.
It is encouraging to see the government change tack by, for example, investing in drone surveillance technology, but there is a need to acknowledge and invest in community-based intelligence and inter-communal peace initiatives.
It is only the people of Baringo, Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Samburu, Marsabit and Laikipia counties who know their needs and can elaborately define the solutions to their problems
FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP
Let’s face it, the political leadership from these regions is part of the problem. They have been burying their heads in the sand for a long time, yet it is their prerogative to undertake a central role in bringing their communities together and create awareness and appreciation that a long-term solution lies with them. In these circumstances, the adoption of the government’s bottom-up approach narrative is best suited to mitigating the stalemate as the varying dynamics of the conflict will be looked at wholesomely. Initiatives from Nairobi have continually been reactive and chest-thumping, leading to a failure of government interventions.
The hard and aggressive approach adopted by the government, though necessary, has had adverse implications among the locals, who fear victimisation, reprisals and apprehension in providing information to authorities on financiers, planners and perpetrators of cattle rustling and banditry. It is time the communities themselves develop mitigation measures and involve the government in the processes rather than the government taking the lead role. Creating linkages between grassroots communities, the government and NGOs through collaborations and trust-building will go a long way in fostering peaceful co-existence in the region.
An all-inclusive community-led initiative would encourage cooperation and create incentives for collective action and assist parties to the conflicts to end hostilities as it enables addressing the root causes of the problem. We need to take cognisance of the fact that these communities have coexisted for decades and had ways of traditionally resolving conflicts before modern policing came into being. Giving them a free hand to develop and structure their solutions to the problem will provide appropriate insight to the issues at hand.
A possible approach is to have the warring communities separately propose interventions unique to them before deliberation and amalgamation of the various proposed solutions by representatives unanimously selected from each community is done. Peace meetings initiatives with the communities have not been successful as they are largely attended by women and children, while the men, who are the perpetrators, stay away. Men from these communities should be encouraged to get involved and take the lead in seeking a lasting solution to banditry. This should be done in good faith with the understanding that the outcomes of the deliberations will be final and abiding to the communities involved.
The days will be numbered for rogue politicians riding and taking advantage of cattle rustling for political expediency if the community takes a leading role in these initiatives
SOCIOECONOMIC PROBLEMS
The engagements should focus on key issues particularly addressing socioeconomic and political challenges as well as cultural beliefs and practices. To mitigate against socioeconomic problems contributing to the menace, the local population should voice their reservations if any on the adoption of new lifestyle changes that their leaders are advocating. As calls and efforts to diversify from livestock rearing continue to grow, especially from various key stakeholders, we need to ask ourselves: what do the local populations want or think? Are they ready to lift a jembe and farm if the proposed Kapkamak/Kabonon irrigation scheme is revived? Are they ready to tender and give the proper attention required to rear dairy cattle as proposed by a governor from the region? If not, then what are their suggestions?
Additionally, influential members of the political class, religious leaders, civil society and opinion makers should not tire from sensitising the community on the importance of education for their future survival as banditry is unsustainable. These efforts should be complemented with heavy investment in the education infrastructure, complete with incentives targeting young parents with children ripe for school to ensure a hundred per cent enrolment.
The incentives should range from free meals for pupils, availability of learning materials, scholarships for bright students, better remuneration and allowances and security for teachers working in these regions. Such efforts and incentives should be extended to infrastructure development and revamping of the security sector.
These efforts should be deliberate, long-term and gradually implemented, with the aim of phasing out the generation of young people exploited by organised crime syndicates to perpetuate banditry and cattle rustling. Education is currently hampered by insecurity, but with the community taking the lead role, it will be easier for government to seek and find solutions to challenges bedevilling the education sector. In the past, banditry was linked to cultural practices connected to marriage and dowry. The communities should clarify whether this is still the case or if unscrupulous entities have commercialised cattle theft fueling banditry. The days will be numbered for rogue politicians riding and taking advantage of cattle rustling for political expediency if the community takes a leading role in these initiatives.
The banditry menace has, and rightfully so, exhausted and frustrated some leaders and Kenyans of goodwill, who would like to see a long-lasting resolution that would usher in peace and development. While others have left it to fate, declaring that it is only the hand of God that may bring peace and tranquility, we must appreciate that a comprehensive, inclusive and coherent approach led by the community may lead towards recovery, reconstruction and development in these regions that have borne the brunt of resource-based conflicts for a long time.
